


Galran Mating Traditions

by TakenByEmrys



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance (Voltron)-centric, M/M, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 01:22:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16844308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakenByEmrys/pseuds/TakenByEmrys
Summary: Galra have an unusual mating tradition. When they find a chosen mate, the Galra separate and one of them loses their memories of the other. If they are a worthy mate, they will work over their lost memories and win back their mate. So what happens when Lance and Keith met as kids and Keith has to leave when Shiro has to leave for the Garrison?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this was kind of a whirlwind word vomit that some how became 28 pages long. I hope you guys like it, and i apologize that it isn't very polished.

Lance was pacing in the living room when Hunk found him. Today was the day that Keith was returning to the Castle after being with the blade for so long. Hunk sighed taking in the sight of his friend.

“Lance,” he said softly. Lance whipped around to stare at him. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Hunk reached out and hugged Lance tightly. Lance melted into Hunk.

“There has been no previous notion that this will be different than any other time.” Lance argued. Hunk didn’t have anything to counter that.

“Come on, I made cookies.” Hunk pulled Lance to the kitchen.

“Hunk, it’s going to happen, I just don’t know how I’m going to explain it to everyone. I mean, dios mio, its happened three times!” Lance shouted as he sunk into a bar stool.

“What’s happened three times?” Pidge asked as she came into the room. Lance jumped sky high. “Jeez Lance, you’ve been on edge all week. What, are you nervous about seeing Keith?” She teased easily. She was waiting for Lance’s signature sass, but when it never came she looked around toward him. He had his head on the table while Hunk silently patted his back. Pidge gaped. Hunk’s eyes were filled with sorrow for his friend. Pidge skirted around the island and rested a hand on Lance’s back.

“Hey, Lance, it’s going to be fine. It’s just Keith. I mean, if he has great big fuzzy Galra ears you’ll have teasing ammunition for months.” That was obviously the wrong this to say because Lance let out a very painful sob. Pidge jumped back in surprise. Her eyes shot to Hunk who was just shaking his head. Lance’s sobs were wracking his whole body now. Pidge let herself be pushed aside as Hunk wrapped Lance in a hug. He sent her another pleading look and she got the message this time, scrambling out of the room.

By the afternoon, Lance was perfectly stoic as he stood next to the team in the hangar. Pidge kept shooting looks to Hunk and Lance as they listened to Shiro speak. Hunk was as jumpy as Lance had been since they heard Keith was coming back. The blade ship was landing quickly, taking up their attention. Lance tensed at the cockpit open and a grinning Keith stepped out. Lance’s breath caught in his throat as it always did when he saw Keith. Keith took in the crew before him, his eyes lingering momentarily on Lance before moving onto Hunk.

Pidge jumped forward and enveloped Keith in a hug. Keith pushed her away with a grin and clapped Shiro on the back. He made his way through the group ending with Lance.

“Hey, sorry about that. I’m sure you got it by now.” Keith said with a chuckle. Pidge raised an eyebrow and quickly glanced at Hunk, who had a dawning look of horror on his face. “I’m Keith.” Keith stuck out his hand with an easy grin. Lance’s heart shattered into a million pieces. A tornado flew through his body, effectively removing all his emotions. In an instant his signature flirty smirk was on his face.

“The names Lance.” He said with a wink, and oh my god, he didn’t think his heart could shatter more. Keith’s face flushed a deep red.

“Wait, what?” Pidge asked. Keith turned to her. Hunk waved his arms, getting the rest of the team’s attention behind Keith’s back and made a silencing gesture across his neck. Pidge sputtered, but she didn’t say anything. Lance’s eyes fluttered shut and he took a deep breath.

“What’s up Pidge?” Keith asked confused.

“Nothing, I was just a little miffed that you didn’t feel the need to introduce us to your friend.” She squeaked. The entire team jumped, completely missing the tall Galra who had stepped out of the ship after Keith.

“Oh crap, sorry guys. This is Kroila, my mom.” Keith said rather lamely. The entire team, sans Lance, openly gaped.

“Holy crap Keith!” Shiro yelled. The team turned to gape at him. They all knew Shiro and Keith were practically adoptive brothers.

“It is truly an honor to meet you,” Allura said with a graceful smile. Kroila dropped into a stiff bow at the sight of her.

“Princess Allura, the honor is mine.” Kroila said. No one failed to notice that her eyes never seemed to leave Lance.

“Whelp, I’ve got to get my evening ritual started and I’ll let you all catch up.” Lance said with an easy grin. “It was really great to meet you both.” He sent a wave to Keith and Kroila before gliding out of the hangar. Keith was practically drooling after him.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, dumbstruck at his brother’s expression. Keith jumped and turned brilliant red again.

“He’s… uh… he seems nice.” He said. Coran and Allura shared a confused look but didn’t say anything. For all they knew, it could be a weird Earth thing. “Where did you find another human way out here?” No one knew what to say.

“He was uh.. in a Galra camp.” Hunk rushed out. He hadn’t wanted to say it, but Lance was right. It was truly the only thing that was even remotely believable. Keith mulled it over for a second before nodding.

“Er… is my room…?” Keith started.

“We didn’t touch it. We gave Lance the room across from yours.” Hunk said. If Keith was surprised that Hunk was answering the questions, he didn’t say anything.

“Do you guys have a specific room for Kroila to stay?” Keith asked.

“Oh of course!” Coran stepped forward. “We have many rooms that are more suited to a Galra lifestyle if you would prefer, though they may be a little dated.” He said thoughtfully.

“I would much prefer to stay in a room next to Keith, if that would be alright.” Kroila said.

“Of course, Keith can show you to all the empty rooms we have.” Coran said. Keith grinned to them again before showing his mother out of the hanger. The team all turned to Hunk.

“What the ever-loving fuck, was that?” Pidge screeched. Hunk sighed and ran a hand over his face.

“Look, I’m going to give you an extreme condensed version, because I don’t even want to think about the mental state Lance is in right now.” Hunk said. They all moved closer in anticipation. “Lance and Keith met when they were 13.” Immediate realization hit Shiro. “They were friends for about a year before he and Shiro moved so Shiro could join the Garrison. They met again at the Garrison, but the problem was that Keith had forgot everything to do with Lance. Lance was extremely salty and that’s where the rivalry thing happened. Pidge before you got there, they competed over everything, but they eventually became friends again. When Keith was kicked out, he totally ghosted Lance and that’s why when we saw him that night Lance was super salty again.” Hunk explained everything in a single breath.

“Wait, so when Keith said he didn’t remember Lance, he literally didn’t? I thought he was just fucking with him!” Pidge said. Hunk nodded.

“When Keith joined the Garrison, he complained about Lance all the time. I asked if it was the same Lance he used to know, and he had no idea who I was talking about.” Shiro said quietly. Hunk nodded. Allura’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Oh poor Lance. Every couple of years his best friend gets ripped away from him. Should we go to him?” She asked. Hunk shook his head.

“Oh my god! I made that comment this morning! I was so terrified. I’ve never seen Lance cry!” Pidge exclaimed.

“And you probably never will again.” Hunk said. “I’ve known Lance almost my entire life and I’ve seen him cry twice, including today.”

“Do I want to know the first time?” Shiro asked hesitantly. Hunk gave him a look, and he knew.

“Our first day at the Garrison. I’m going to find Lance, and we’ll be back for dinner.” Hunk hustled out of the hangar in search for Lance.

After Lance left the hangar, he went straight to his room. It took him less than a minute to change into his swim shorts before he was practically running to the elevator. His breath caught when he stepped in, remembering the time with Keith. Since then, Lance has figured out the swimming pool and effectively made it his haven.

He wasted no time before diving in. He didn’t know how long he was swimming before he heard the door slide open.

“Damn Hunk, that was fast.” He turned around and froze. Keith and Kroila were standing in the entrance. Kroila was craning her head to stare at him quizzically, while Keith was doing his best not to look at him.

“We apologize for intruding. Keith was giving me a tour. Altean pools were always something of legend and I had to see for myself.” Kroila said gliding forward. Lance chuckled.

“They are a sight to behold. It took me forever to figure out how to get up here.” Lance said. This angle was truly awful for his neck. Keith looked up at that.

“How the hell did you do it? I could never figure it out.” He asked. Lance didn’t answer, instead he dove to the bottom of the pool and kicked off hard. Keith gaped as Lance fell out of the pool, gracefully flipping in the air to land on his feet.

“It’s a crazy double gravity mechanism. If you use enough force you can propel yourself to the point when the gravity switches and you flip.” Lance explained cheerfully. Kroila nodded, looking to the pool again.

“I want to try.” A determined look crossed her eyes. Lance smiled.

“There are a bunch of extra suits if you need one in the closet there.” Lance pointed to a nearby door. Kroila just shook her head.

“This will be fine. The blade armor is waterproof.” She crouched and jumped. Lance’s jaw dropped as she sprung several feet in the air.

“Holy crap, can you do that?” Lance turned to Keith.

“Why would I be able to do that?” He asked.

“Maybe it’s a Galra thing.” Lance shrugged. Lance took a deep breath. This was literally the exact opposite of his haven. Kroila landed right next to him, shaking drops of water from her ears.

“That was invigorating. I understand why Altean pools are still legendary.” She said approvingly. Lance grinned.

“If you think the pool is legendary. Wait till you see the gardens. They are definitely my second favorite place.” He said. Keith looked at him.

“The castle has gardens?” He asked. Lance rolled his eyes.

“Well, based on what I know about you, it’s not a surprise you didn’t know.” He teased, somewhat bitingly.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Keith asked hotly.

“It means your too short to read the castle map.” Lance snickered. Keith’s face grew hot and he was about to retort when Kroila laughed. Keith turned to her incredulously. Lance was just as surprised.

“Now that is funny.” She said with a grin. Her shoulders visibly relaxed. Keith had never seen her relax. “You are rather short Keith.” She placated. Keith made an indistinguishable noise.

“He’s a smol boi.” Lance smirked. Keith whipped around to him in anger. Kroila laughed again. The door slid open, revealing Hunk this time. Keith noticed as Lance visibly deflated. He hadn’t even seemed tense or on edge.

“Keith!” Hunk looked surprised to see him. Kroila was still laughing to herself. Hunk looked confused.

“Memes.” Lance explained. Hunk grinned at his friend.

“Let us continue our tour smol boi.” Kroila said with a grin. Lance guffawed violently at the shade of red Keith’s face had turned.

“You taught my mom a meme.” He whispered to himself as he followed Kroila out. When the door slid closed, Hunk and Lance looked at each other.

“So you told them?” Lance asked. Hunk nodded.

“You want some cookies?” Lance shrugged.

“I think I’m going to visit Kalternecker. I haven’t yet today.” He said awkwardly. Hunk pulled him into a hug.

“You can’t hide forever Lance. He found you in less than twenty minutes. I swear he has a Lance radar.” Hunk said. Lance chuckled.

“The universe has a Lance radar. I swear I’m fucking cursed. Ugh. I’m going to make sure Kalternecker is okay, then I’ll come to dinner alright?” Lance said.

“Pidge will most likely come find you. She was pretty upset about everything. Allura was too. I can’t believe you got Keith’s mom to call him smol boi.” Hunk hugged him once last time before leaving. Lance groaned and collapsed in a deck chair. This was going to be a disaster. He began making a plan immediately as he trudged to the gardens.

Pidge found him leaning against Kalternecker, strumming the guitar he had found at the earth store. She didn’t wait for an invitation before cuddling into his side.

“Hey Pidgeot, and how are you doing?” He asked. He let out a very manly squeal when Pidge punched his arm. “Jeez, what was that for?”

“You’re an idiot Lance McClain. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us.” She said. Lance sighed.

“What can I say Pidge? It wasn’t supposed to even be a problem.” Lance shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like Keith and I were ever close.” Pidge snorted.

“You can’t be serious?” Lance kept his eyes on his guitar, trying to keep his breathing steady. A realization hit Pidge, but she didn’t say anything. “Will you play me something?” Lance nodded and began a sweet melody.

Yo pensé que podía quedarme sin ti y no puedo  
es difícil mi amor, mas difícil de lo que pensé  
he dejado mi puerta entreabierta  
y entraste tu sin avisar  
no te apartes de mi oh no

yo pensé que con tanta experiencia  
conocías todo  
y contigo aprendí que al amor no le importa  
quien sabe mas  
y que el tiempo en nosotros no existe  
por todo lo que veo en ti  
no te apartes de mi oh no no oh no

todo amor que yo espere de la vida  
lo he encontrado solo en ti  
y resulta que tu no estas aquí  
esos aires de quien no sabe nada  
me han sabido hacer feliz  
no te apartes de mi oh no ho no

no pensé que ese aire inocente  
me enseñase el mundo  
en las cosas bonitas tan simples  
que siempre me dices  
por la falta que me haces a ti  
y por todo lo que veo en ti  
no te apartes de mi oh no oh no

todo amor que yo espere de la vida  
lo he encontrado solo en ti  
y resulta que tu no estas aquí  
esos aires de quien no sabe nada  
me han sabido hacer feliz

no te apartes de mi oh no ho no

no te apartes de mi oh no ho no

no te apartes de mi oh no ho no

no te apartes de mi oh no ho no

Pidge was wiping tears from her eyes by the time he finished. Lance wrapped an arm around her.

“That was beautiful Lance. What does it mean?” She asked.

“The title is _Don’t go away from me_.” He sighed. “Come on Pidgeot. I’m willing to bet Hunk is getting antsy waiting for us.” Lance left his guitar in the gardens and led Pidge to the dining room. Sure enough, as soon as they walked in, Hunk hugged them both.

“You’d think we were the ones that disappeared for several months.” Pidge snarked. Keith had the decency to look a little ashamed. Kroila looked down at him.

“Why did you not call your family smol boi?” She asked. Pidges jaw dropped. Lance cackled.

“Oh, Pidge, did I forget to mention I taught Kroila her first meme?” Lance said. Keith gave him his best death glare.

“And what a first meme to learn!” Pidge laughed.

“Who’s learning memes?” Shiro asked. He, Allura, and Coran had just walked in.

“Lance got Kroila calling Keith smol boi.” Pidge explained between laughs. Shiro fought the grin trying to take over.

“Shiro!” Keith exclaimed. Shiro let out a small laugh.

“Matt is going to lose it.” He said to himself. Pidge sprung up like a merecat.

“Oh my god, I have to go call him right now.” She tried to run past him, but he snagged her collar and spun her around.

“Nuh uh, dinner first Pidge.” He said sternly. They collectively rolled their eyes.

“You just want to tell him yourself.” Pidge grumbled. Shiro sent her a grin. “The day you kiss him better be worth it.” Shiro choked and Keith smirked.

“Who said they haven’t kissed already Pidge? I’m willing to bet a shot of nunvil that Matt already beat him to the punch.” Lance smirked. Shiro’s face grew steadily more red.

“I’ll take that bet McClain.” They spit and shook hands. Kroila watched the exchange with interest.

“Is that how humans strike deals?” She asked Keith. He shook his head.

“Only the memelords.” He said. Lance’s head swiveled.

“Better a memelord than an edgelord.” He smirked. Keith glared at him. Pidge laughed hysterically. Allura and Kroila shared a confused look.

“Do you know what they mean?” Kroila asked.

“After this long I don’t ask. Half the things that Lance and Pidge say are Earth popular culture refences.” Allura explained.

“I think I rather enjoy it.” Kroila said with a nod. Keith openly gaped at her. That’s when Hunk brought dinner out. Lance perked up considerably.

“Damn, Hunk, when did food goo turn into this!” Keith asked. Hunk just smiled.

“Lance found a ton of stuff at the spacemall to make human food. He taught me how to make his grandmother’s enchiladas.” Hunk said proudly. “I can make them better than her now!” Lance gasped.

“Nadie puede hacer mejores enchiladas que mi abuela. Mi abuela es la luz del mundo. Ella es la mejor cocinera del mundo, y aunque te amo, Hunk, ¡te abofetearía por decir eso!" Lance fired in rapid Spanish.

“Yo también te quiero hermano.” Hunk answered easily. The crew followed the conversation like a tennis match.

“Since when do you speak Spanish?” Shiro asked. Hunk chuckled.

“I spent a lot of time with a Spanish family as a kid. I picked a bit up.” Hunk said. Pidge pushed Lance into a chair and shimmied hers up next to him.

“Y’all right there Pidgeot?” Lance asked as she served him food then herself. He met Hunk’s eyes, who just shrugged.

“Nope. I’m just making sure you get your enchiladas. Oh look, Hunk made garlic knotts.” She practically threw one at him. Lance jumped when it hit him.

“Keith, why don’t you tell us what you’ve been up to.” Allura moved the conversation quickly away from the odd paladins.

“Pidge, what’s going on?” Lance nudged her gently. He leaned in and whispered.

“I’m one of the smartest people on this ship, and I know you very well. You’re going to leave, and I need to make sure you know you better get back here alive you ass.” She whispered to him. He smiled sadly.

“Don’t you dare tell anyone else. I think I’m going to help Matt. I’m going to talk to Shiro about it later.” He bumped her shoulder. Pidge gave him a blinding grin.

“Good. You two can look out for each other.”

“What are you two conspiring about now?” Coran asked loudly. Lance and Pidge both gave him innocent looks.

“What do you mean conspiring, Coran? Pidge and I would never!” Lance said dramatically. Coran gave them a high eyebrow before turning to his enchilada.

“Now, what exactly is in this?” Allura asked, poking at her oozing cheese.

“Its chicken, a type of earth meat along with a lot of cheese. That’s the gooey stuff.” Hunk explained. Lance took a huge bite and moaned deeply.

“Jeez, keep it in your pants Lance.” Pidge snickered. Lance smirked.

“I might have lied Hunk. Kudos most definitely.” Lance gestured to Hunk before diving back in. Hunk beamed at him. Keith tried to fight the flush on his cheeks and sent Shiro a glare because he was gaping at him. Kroila was watching him intently. Dinner was a ton of fun. Lance almost forgot about the fact that Keith didn’t remember him when he was surrounded by everyone else. Almost.

“Lance, how did you get all caught up in the space thing?” Keith asked. Lance didn’t know how to answer. He and Hunk hadn’t rehearsed this. He sent the team a panicked look.

“Actually, Lance was on the Kerberos mission with us.” Shiro jumped in quickly. The team looked at him in shock. Keith was confused. “He wasn’t actually supposed to leave with the mission, but at the very last minute. We brought him with us to help. We didn’t actually tell them he was coming, so it wasn’t on the news.” He explained.

“Wow, I don’t remember seeing you at the Garrison.” Keith said. Lance visibly flinched.

“I really kept to myself.” Lance chuckled. “Had to make sure Matt didn’t do anything too stupid.” Pidge elbowed him.

“Please, the two of you are probably what gave Shiro his gray streak.” She smirked. The group all chuckled.

“Well Matt most definitely.” Lance smirked. Keith barked laughter. The rest of dinner Pidge and Lance kept whispering back and forth. After dinner when everyone had retreated to their spaces, Lance went to find Shiro. Lance knocked quietly and entered when Shiro called. Shiro was lounging on his bed reading something on his data pad. He gave Lance a grin.

“What’s up Lance?” He asked, sitting up. Lance sighed and collapsed in an easy chair Shiro had brought in for occasions like this.

“So, as you now know, Keith forgot about me.” Lance started. Shiro nodded.

“I remember when we were kids. Keith wouldn’t shut up about you. He almost threw a tantrum when I was accepted into the Garrison. I’m sorry about this.” Shiro said. Lance sighed.

“I can’t like, stay here, Shiro.” Lance said. Shiro nodded.

“I get that, but Lance, we need our sharpshooter. We need you to form Voltron.” Shiro stood up and knelt next to Lance.

“Shiro, Keith is definitely suited to Red, and Allura is perfect for Baby Blue. I was actually thinking about going to help Matt with the rebels.” Lance said. Lance could see the conflicted look in Shiro’s face. Lance grinned, knowing he was about to win over Shiro. “Pidge is really excited that Matt and I will be able to look out for each other.” Shiro caved instantly.

“Alright, I totally get it. You have to make sure you check in though.” Shiro leaned back onto the bed. “Awe crap, what are you going to tell Hunk?” Lance shuddered.

“My current plan is to wait until Voltron is needed and send Keith to Red and just kind of disappear.” Lance admitted. Shiro rolled his eyes.

“Go talk to him Lance. I’ll call Matt and have him come pick you up.” Shiro said. Lance stood up and stretched.

“Thank you Shiro.” Shiro stood up and hugged Lance.

“Hey, it’s my job.” Shiro pulled away and grasped Lance’s shoulder. They both turned when a knock sounded on the door. Shiro sighed. “Its Keith.” Shiro stepped forward and pressed his palm on the pad. The door swished open and Keith took them both in.

“What’s up mullet?” Lance smirked. He patted Shiro on the back. “Thanks Shiro. Let me know when you hear something.” He pushed past Keith with a smirk and a wink before casually strolling down the hall. Keith couldn’t help but watch as he walked away. When he turned back to Shiro, his brother was openly gaping at him.

“Dude, what?” Keith asked, trying to feign innocence. Shiro leaned against the doorframe.

“He’s really getting to you, isn’t he?” Shiro asked.

“He is not!” Keith said hotly as he pushed past Shiro. When he collapsed into the easy chair and tried not to stiffen when he caught the fresh scent of Lance. Fuck, he’d known this guy for less than a day and he was already fucking smitten. Shiro guffawed.

“Oh my god. Keith, I’ve never seen you taken with anybody like this. The first minute you met him you practically drooled over his ass and then at dinner!” Shiro laughed. Keith flushed a deep red.

“No one should be allowed to make those noises at a dinner table.” He whispered furiously. Shiro grinned.

“Alright, well, I’m glad Lance and I chatted about this.” Shiro said. Keith perked up.

“What did you guys talk about?” Keith asked.

“Now that you’re back, Lance is ready to take a step back from Voltron. He really wants to go help Matt with the freedom fighters.” Shiro said. Keith opened his mouth but closed it again. He didn’t know what he felt about that.

“Oh, well that’s cool, I guess. I didn’t really expect to come back. You guys were doing awesome, and I didn’t want to break up the killer team. I was just planning to piggy back and help with missions.” Keith said. Shiro shrugged.

“Lance really wants to help the freedom fighters. This is actually kind of perfect.” He said. Keith groaned and curled back into the chair. Shiro laughed. “Oh my god, you are fucking smitten. Jesus Keith.”

Lance found Hunk stress baking in the kitchen. Pidge was perched on the counter making small talk with Kroila, trying not to ask her about Galra things. Hunk beamed when he was Lance. He pulled him into a hug and set him next to Pidge.

“So, what’s on the menu tonight, master chef?” Lance chuckled.

“I’m whipping up one of my mom’s recipes tonight. I found some pumpkin type things so I’m trying alien-pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.” Hunk beamed. Lance perked up and practically drooled.

“Oh my god. I miss your mom’s chocolate chip cookies!” He squealed. Kroila looked between them.

“Have you two know each other for very long?” She asked. Lance grinned.

“Hunk has been my best bro all my life. I brought him home from school when we were little and my abuela practically adopted him.” Lance explained.

“Actually, I have always wondered about that. Didn’t you grow up in Cuba?” Pidge asked. Kroila looked confused. “Lance is from this really small island. It’s kind of impossible that they knew each other before the Garrison.” Hunk laughed.

“My mom was in the military, so we moved around a lot. We were stationed in Cuba for the longest. We were there from when I was seven to when I was thirteen. I actually left right before-” Lance squeaked. Hunk stopped and flushed a deep red. “Er- right before Lance decided to go into the Garrison. We kept in touch, of course. We were so excited when we both decided to join the Garrison.” Kroila raised a sharp eyebrow.

“Oh, that’s adorable. Your bromance is so touching.” Pidge laughed.

“What is a bromance?” Kroila asked. “Are you in a mated relationship?” Pidge cackled. Lance smirked and reached out to drape himself over Hunk.

“Hunk is the most romantic guy I know. He will always be my platonic bromance. We are just friends but we’re really close.” Lance explained.

“Lance and I will always rely on each other as best friends. We have friend dates and all that jazz, but we are definitely not interested in each other in a, what did you say? Mates?” Hunk asked. “Wait, is that how Galra start families? Do you guys mate for life?”

“I think I understand. Yes, Galra do mate for life. We start what we call nests, or some of the older Galra call them packs, where we raise our young.” Kroila explained. Pidge adjusted her glasses.

“This is fascinating. We don’t have a lot of information on current Galra culture. Would you be willing to help me update out information?” She asked. Kroila nodded.

“Yes of course Paladin.” She said. Pidge smiled.

“Call me Pidge, okay?” Kroila acquiesced. Hunk brought out his first batch of cookies. He sent the first plate in front of Lance. “Downside of their bromance, Lance always gets the first round of food and snacks.” Pidge groaned.

“Lance’s abuela taught me how to cook, and Lance is all to thank for that. Plus, Lance needs more cookies than anyone.” Hunk cooed. Lance grinned and took a bite of the cookie. Keith walked into the room to the sound of Lance moaning again. No one should be able to make those noises.

“Oh my god, Lance. Bring the cookies to your room.” Pidge groaned. Lance stuck his tongue out at her.

“Hunk, these are perfect.” Keith sat in the stool next to his mom. “But, I want to eat more. Hunk, will you come by for cuddles when you’re done?” Lance pleaded. Hunk rolled his eyes but nodded. Lance sent Pidge a knowing wink.

“Go on you, Conejito.” Hunk laughed. Lance gasped and strutted from the room.

“What did you just call him?” Keith asked.

“And if it makes him leave that fast, how do I say it?” Pidge joked.

“I called him a little bunny. It’s for when he gets needy and jumpy.” Hunk explained. Keith nodded. “I better get these done fast though. He’ll tear apart his room if he gets too anxious.”

“Why do you say that Lance needs more cookies than anyone?” Kroila asked. Keith looked intrigued. Pidge smiled softly.

“Well, Lance is the oldest of five. He’s taken care of people his entire life, ya know? He tries not to be needy or want anything. His goal is always doing the best for the people he cares about.” Hunk explained.

“Like when I try to pull too many all-nighters to get my upgrades done. Lance challenges me to a game night. He loads me up on sugar until I crash for a solid ten hours.” Pidge said.

“Same with me. If I get too deep on fixing something he does this annoying thing where he drapes himself over me back and whines until I get up and relax with him.” Hunk shrugged. Keith was oh so fucked. “He tries so hard to take care of everyone and the best I can do is make him as many baked goods and I can. He really needs to end up with someone who is willing to take care of him. No one has ever taken care of him, like ever.”

“Wait why?” Keith asked as he leaned forward.

“His dad left right after his last sibling was born. He couldn’t handle it, I guess. But then his mom was killed in a car accident, and he was the oldest and his abuela couldn’t raise his siblings all alone, so he stepped it up.” Hunk said sadly.

“When did his mother pass?” Kroila asked.

“When he was six.” Keith’s stomach dropped. He thought he had crap as a kid. Hunk finished up wrapping his last batch of cooking and took off his apron. “You guys can stew on that, I have to go cuddle with Lance.”

“Tell him I’ll be by later, too.” Pidge called. Hunk nodded and strode out of the room whistling. Kroila, Keith, and Pidge stewed in a bit of silence. “I didn’t know that.” She said softly. “I’m glad he has Hunk. I hope he finds love soon though. He can’t keep pushing himself like this. I wonder if Nyma would still date him.”

“Nyma?” Kroila asked.

“She was this girl that tried to seduce him and steal his lion. She chained him to a tree and everything.” Pidge grinned.

“And you think she’ll take care of him?” Keith asked.

“She actually turned out to be okay. After everything that happened.” Pidge snickered. Keith shook his head.

“Lance needs a mate? Keith are you attracted to him?” Kroila asked. Keith sputtered.

“Jesus Kroila, no. And boundaries!” He half shrieked. Pidge gave him a knowing smirk.

“Alrighty, I’ve given Lance enough time to cuddle with Hunk. See ya tomorrow.” Pidge scooped her stuff up and left.

Hunk had found Lance digging through his closet. Hunk rolled his eyes and made himself comfortable on Lance’s bed.

“How ya doing, buddy?” Hunk asked.

“Absolutely awful. Have you seen Keith?” Lance hissed. “He looks great, and our old rivalry was fabulous because now I say words and he blushes! Who does that!” Hunk suppressed a sad smile.

“I’m sorry, Lance. I don’t even know what we can do about it.” Hunk said. Lance froze and turned to him.

“Actually, I made a decision to go join Matt with the freedom fighters.” He said softly. Hunk shot up from the bed.

“But-” He began. Lance held up a hand.

“This way Keith flies Red, because he’s perfect for it, and I don’t live through the pain every day. Plus, I know it’ll make Pidge and Shiro sleep better knowing that Matt and I will look out for each other.” Lance explained. Hunk deflated.

“I know, buddy. I’m sorry about this entire situation. When are you going?” Hunk asked. He pulled Lance into a bear hug.

“I don’t know. Shiro is going to call Matt.” Lance said.

“Cuddle with an Altean movie?” Hunk asked. Lance nodded. “I’m going to miss you Lance.” Hunk went back to his room to collect a bundle of blankets, so he and Lance could build a fort. They had just started the movie when Pidge opened the door. She wormed her way on the other side on Lance and sighed.

“Did you tell him?” She asked quietly. Lance nodded.

“Pidge knew before me?!” Hunk exclaimed. Lance had the grace to look sheepish.

“She figured it out before I even said anything. She’s too smart for her own good.” Lance whined. Hunk huffed but didn’t argue further. Lance fell asleep quickly. Pidge and Hunk sighed.

“I can’t believe all of this crap is happening to him.” Pidge said. “He’s always so bubbly and happy. How can he do it?” Hunk nodded.

“I don’t know. He is so optimistic. When the day comes that he breaks down, it’ll be awful.” Hunk said. Pidge nodded solemnly. They finished the movie and fell asleep.

The next morning Hunk was making breakfast when Matt arrived. The rest of the castle was still sleeping, so Hunk was able to quickly explain what was going on. Matt looked gutted.

“Oh my god, that’s awful. Poor Lance. So, the story is that we practically kidnapped him for Kerberos? So, we’d be bro-like?” Matt confirmed. Hunk shrugged.

“Get bro-like with him anyway, buddy. Lance has totally adopted Pidge. You guys might have to split holidays.” Hunk chuckled. Matt grinned. Shiro and Keith entered the kitchen with grins. They both stopped when they saw Matt.

“Hey you two! Keith great to see you back from the blade!” Matt grinned. Shiro hugged him tightly. Hunk and Keith gave each other knowing looks when they both lingered a little too long. Matt clapped Keith on the back.

“What are you doing here?” Keith asked. He slumped in a stool.

“I’m picking up Lance.” Matt said obviously. Keith nodded.

“Wow Shiro, you move fast.” Keith joked. Pidge snorted as she and Lance walked in.

“No, he doesn’t.” She said. She pulled Matt in a hug. Lance grinned at him.

“Lance!” Matt yelled and threw his arms wide.

“Matt!” Lance threw his arms out to match. Matt took a running start and jumped. Lance caught him easily and threw him up in the air Dirty Dancing style. After Lance put him down, Matt threw and arm around his shoulder.

“You ready to take down the intergalactic empire?” Matt asked.

“Always. Be my Chewie?” Lance asked. Matt sniffled.

“Oh my god, of course man.” Matt pulled him into a teary hug. “Bro.”

“Bro.” Lance wept. Pidge rolled her eyes.

“You two are ridiculous.” She huffed. The aliens entered then.

“Matt, wait, are you two okay?” Allura asked. Matt and Lance were still silently crying.

“They’re fine. They’re both walking memes.” Pidge snickered. Lance stuck his tongue out at her.

“When are we leaving?” Lance asked.

“After breakfast!” Hunk said sharply. Lance held up his hands in surrender.

“After breakfast apparently.” Matt grinned.

“Wait, whose leaving?” Allura asked. Lance and Shiro froze. Everyone knew but Allura and Coran.

“Well now that Keith’s back, I’m going to go help Matt with the freedom fighters.” Lance explained. Allura looked stricken.

“But Lance!” She exclaimed.

“I really want to help Matt and this is the best excuse ever.” Lance pleaded. Allura brushed back her unshed tears and hugged Lance. Breakfast was jovial and bittersweet. Afterwards Allura and Coran rushed off quickly. When they came back, Coran was holding a medium sized backpack, and Allura was holding a small case.

“Lance, these are for you. We should be able to provide some things for you, so you don’t get hurt.” Allura said. Coran handed him the backpack. “There’s a set of Altean armor in there. You better use it. And this, will be perfect since you won’t have your bayard.” She set the case in front of him. Lance eagerly popped the buckled and lifted the lid. The team crowded around him as he pulled out an energy assault rifle.

“She’s beautiful!” He exclaimed. Lance stroked the rifle lovingly. Pidge snickered.

“Should we leave the room for you two?” She asked. Lance just grinned.

“Alright, we should go. We have to meet people on Naxzela.” Matt stood and stretched. The team gave a round of hugs to the pair. When Lance got to Keith, they shook hands. Lance packed a few things into the bag Coran gave him, including his homemade face masks, before he and Matt took off.

As Keith watched Matt and Lance fly away, he couldn’t help but wallow in the empty feeling he felt.

“Is something bothering you Keith?” His mother asked next to him. He sighed.

“I don’t know. Just a weird feeling.” He said. She gave him a calculating look before turning back to the data pad Allura had given her.

Over the next several weeks, Keith couldn’t get Lance out of his head. The lithe Cuban boy was always running through his mind. Sometimes he woke up in a cold sweat after having weird dreams about Lance. He dreamed about things that didn’t happen when he was a kid. It had been almost a month since they had heard from Lance. He walked into the kitchen when Pidge and Hunk were whispering furiously. They knew it had past the time when Keith should have forgotten Lance.

“Hey, have you guys heard from Lance lately?” He asked innocently. He didn’t know why he had such a need to know if Lance was okay. Hunk and Pidge both gaped at him. “What?”

“Er- nothing. We were just talking about that. It’s been too long and I’m getting nervous.” Pidge recovered first.

“Has Shiro heard from Matt?” Hunk asked.

“How would I know?” Keith shrugged. “Shiro’s weirdly shy about any love life he might have.” Keith wandered back to the training deck.

When Pidge finally got Lance on a video call a week later, he was grinning. “Oh my god, your face!” A puckered wound went from his jaw to the middle of his cheek. He grinned.

“Fighting on the front lines is definitely different than piloting a lion.” He was bubbling with energy.

“Are you guys okay?” She asked. He gave her a soft smile.

“We’re good Pidgeot. Matt’s helping the locals set up their systems again.” He explained. Pidge wandered into the living room to find Hunk, Shiro, and Keith relaxing.

“Hey!” She chirped excitedly. Keith perked up at the tablet in her hand. She bounced down on the couch next to him. He peered over her smile with a grin. It was quickly replaced with a look of concern. Pidge watched as Lance’s eyes widened, waiting for Keith to not know him again.

“Fuck, Lance, what did you do?” Keith asked. Lance’s eyes bugged, and his jaw dropped. He hissed in pain and quickly closed his mouth.

“I had to keep Matt from being Matt.” Lance joked. Shiro was next to Pidge instantly.

“What did he do now?” He half growled.

“What do you think? He was being stupid and noble. He was saving kids from a Galra troop and we got pinned down.” Lance said. “We’re actually meeting with the leaders of this planet soon. They want to join the coalition, so would you guys be able to chat again in a couple hours with Allura?” Shiro nodded.

“Of course, Lance. Call Pidge back when you need us.” Shiro said. Hunk snatched the tablet from Pidge.

“Hey!” She yelled. Hunk grinned.

“I haven’t had Lance time in ages. I’m having withdrawls!” Hunk screeched. Lance chuckled.

“Yo tambien te extraño querido. ¿Qué mierda acaba de pasar?” Lance asked.

“¡Él te recuerda!” Hunk grinned

“I think we need to learn Spanish.” Pidge grumbled.

“Lance called him darling. And then he said fuck and something else.” Keith said. Everyone turned to look at him.

“You know Spanish?” Pidge asked.

“Only certain words. Endearment and cursing.” Keith explained.

“Care to explain mullet?” Lance squeaked. Keith thought about it.

“Ya know I really don’t know. I just know them. Cariño, mi rey, mi alma.” Keith snickered. “Mi sirenta.” Hunk turned the tablet away from Keith. Lance was biting back tears. Shiro and Pidge made eye contact.

“Alright well, I gotta go do something.” Pidge jumped up.

“I should find Allura.” Shiro quickly followed her out. When the door closed behind them, Pidge turned to him.

“Oh my god!” Shiro said. Pidge squealed and jumped up and down.

“Keith knows Spanish terms of endearment. What the fuck?” She whispered.

“Pidge.” Kroila called from down the hall. Pidge and Shiro turned quickly, trying to act innocent. Kroila strode to them quickly. “I was wondering when you wanted me to help you with your Galra information?”

“Of course! Well Lance is video chatting now, and we have to have a coalition meeting in a couple hours, so how about tomorrow?” Pidge said. Kroila nodded.

“Lance is in the living room?” She asked. Pidge nodded. Kroila strode past them into the living room.

“What do you think that was about?” Shiro asked.

“I don’t know. She’s honestly really interested in Lance. Every time he come up, she wants more information. It makes me a little uncomfortable.” Pidge said. Shiro looked concerned.

“I’ll talk to Keith about it.” Shiro said. “But on another note. Keith’s memories are resurfacing? I don’t think he was ever friends with anyone else who spoke Spanish.”

“Another note. Lance taught or called Keith terms of endearment!” Pidge said. Shiro snickered, but his face dropped.

“And Keith forgot.” Pidge’s mood dropped too. “I should go get some stuff done before the meeting.” Shiro nodded and watched her leave.

In the living room, Kroila was sitting next to Keith as Lance told them all an animated story. Unbeknownst to anyone, Kroila had noticed how everyone acted between Keith and Lance, and she was determined to find out what the story was. She wanted her son to be happy, and from what she saw, Lance made him happy. When Lance signed off, saying he would call in a couple hours, Hunk almost cried. Keith patted his shoulder as he hung up.

Later when Lance called back, they were all prepared in the bridge. Keith and Kroila stuck to the back, not knowing much about the coalition. When the call came up, Pidge instantly started berating Matt for being too noble and putting both him and Lance in danger. Matt just smiled.

“Hey is that Rolo?” Hunk asked, squinting at the screen.

“Yep!” Lance grinned

“Don’t forget me too!” A tall yellow alien leaned around Lance.

“Nyma!” Pidge giggled. Keith’s blood ran cold.

“Have you handcuffed Lance to anything yet?” Hunk asked. Lance barked out a laugh.

“Not yet,” Nyma winked.

“You guys all suck. Come on. The leaders are just getting here, so behave.” Lance groaned. Lance and Matt introduced the planet to Voltron and Shiro and Allura began to talk logistics. Keith kept his eyes glued to Lance and Nyma chatting in the corner of the room.

When the planet had officially joined the coalition, Lance took back the tablet.

“Alright guys. Matt and I are heading to a new planet.”

“We’re going to!” Nyma interrupted.

“Alright, WE are going to head to a new planet. We’ll call when we can okay?” Lance chuckled.

“Stay safe Lance. Tell Matt that he needs to also.” Shiro said.

“Yeah I bet he does.” Lance snickered. Shiro turned pink. Lance waved and ended the call.

The next day Kroila found Pidge in her lab. When she walked in, Pidge bounced up and went to collect all the Galra notes she had collected so far.

“Okay so I’m super interested in Galra mating habits. You mate for life, but do the Galra have specific courtship rituals or anything?” Pidge asked. Kroila nodded.

“Oh yes. It’s changed a lot over the years, but part of our Galra genes is that when we meet our chosen mate, we will spend a considerable amount of time with them, but then we spend time apart. During this time apart, one of the couples’ memories are purged of the other. If the chosen mate reciprocates, they must try to win back their mates affections.” Kroila stopped when she saw Pidge’s jaw dropped. “What is wrong, Pidge?”

“Keith chose Lance as his mate.” Pidge squeaked.

“I knew it!” Kroila yelled. Pidge jumped. She had never seen Kroila show so much emotion. “I knew that Lance had always been a paladin. Kolivan told me all about you before we got here, and I didn’t want to push things. I didn’t know if Keith had enough Galra in him to have our mating techniques.” Kroila was pacing now.

“Oh my god.” Pidge said again. “It’s been so hard to do damage control.”

“When did they meet?” Kroila asked.

“They were thirteen. They were together for a year before Shiro was accepted into the Garrison. Keith forgot about him, but when Keith and Lance were accepted into the Garrison they met again. Then Keith was kicked out and he forgot again! We’re kind of waiting for the shoe to drop now that Lance is gone again.” Pidge explained.

“That is why Lance left, isn’t it?” Kroila asked.

“Yeah, he said it was too hard to be around. And I’m really starting to understand why.” Pidge nodded. Kroila raised an eyebrow. “The other day when Lance called, Keith knew some of the Spanish he was saying to Hunk, but only the terms of endearment and the er- vulgar words.” Pidge blushed. Kroila grinned.

“So, you believe they had a relationship at the Garrison?” Pidge nodded. “That should have brought back Keith’s memories. The memories are brought back when something that was important in their initial relationship. What was something that happened both times? And why is he keeping his memories now?” Kroila asked. Pidge thought for a minute before realization hit her.

“He left.” She stated. “Both times the relationship ended because Keith left. Shiro said the first time they left Keith threw a huge fit, which for Keith is really saying something.”

“So now that Lance was the one that left, his memories are starting to come back. It usually doesn’t work like that, but maybe because Keith is half human, things are different.” Kroila supposed. Pidge nodded.

“I would really like to run tests, but we can’t really tell Keith can we?” Kroila shook her head.

“No. The one thing about tradition is that they cannot be told about who they forget. If they are truly worthy of their mate, they will fight for them.” Kroila said.

“That’s honestly really romantic.” Pidge said. “We have to tell the others, though.” Kroila agreed on that front. When they left, they didn’t notice a frozen Keith standing behind one of Pidge’s machines, frozen. Keith sank to the ground. All of his dreams made so much more sense. The little bits of Spanish he was remembering. Lance!

When Pidge and Kroila told Hunk and Shiro, they both relatively freaked out. Hunk jumped up and down excited for his friend.

“Okay, Hunk, please confirm that they had something at the Garrison.” Pidge pleaded. Hunk blushed.

“I will not confirm nor deny anything. For how open and affectionate Lance is, he doesn’t really kiss and tell. But based on some things I heard I can make an educated guess to say yes, so much yes.” Hunk grimaced. Pidge and Kroila grinned.

“So, what do we do?” Shiro asked.

“Honestly nothing,” Pidge shrugged.

“We just have to let them run their course. Interfering will only hurt things.” Kroila explained. Shiro nodded.

“Well, I guess let’s just see how things happen. Hunk, shall we science?” Pidge asked.

“Yes, I do believe using my best friend as a science experiment is good.” Hunk chuckled.

It took Lance another two months to call. He and Matt were liberating tons of planets and adding more members to the coalition. When he called, Keith tried not to hover too much, but they ended up leaving him alone with the tablet, so he had to chat with Lance. Keith ended up really enjoying their chat. He didn’t realize that several hours had passed when Hunk came back for the tablet. He hid his blush as Hunk gave him a knowing look.

Lance, Matt, and the small team they had collected were recruiting freedom fighters for the coalition all over the galaxy. Between Lance’s charm and Matt’s intelligence, they were easily able to convince most people to fight. It was truly amazing to see. Coran and Allura had a hard time keeping up.

Pidge and Hunk whined whenever they called because Lance only called every couple of months. Keith guess he understood. With what he overheard from Pidge and Kroila, it was really hard for Lance to be around Keith. After six months of Lance being gone, and Keith only talking to him the one time, his memories were beginning to resurface with intensity. Keith kept waking in cold sweats and the ghost of lips pressing against his skin.

Another six months passed. With every day, Keith learned more about his relationship with Lance. He remembered when they met in Cuba, where Shiro was studying for a short time. He remembered the fluttery feelings he felt for his best friend even back then. He remembers leaving. He didn’t even get to say goodbye before they left. He remembers meeting Lance again. He totally understands why Lance was so pissed all the time. He remembers when they both got detention and Keith still isn’t sure how they ended up making out. He remembers falling in love. He remembers stolen moments and passion. He remembers the look on Lance’s face when they save Shiro and Keith doesn’t remember him. He can’t believe how many times he’s let Lance down. Around the eighth month after Lance left, Keith told himself that when he saw Lance again, he would tell him.

After a year, the war with the Galra was finally coming to an end. The entire coalition, which has tripled since Lance left, and Voltron were gathering together for the first time. They gathered on a desolate planet that was known for its massive storms.

When the castle ship landed, Keith couldn’t help but squirm. “Dude, are you okay?” Hunk asked. Keith nodded, not trusting his voice. He was not prepared to see Lance. When they left the ship, there was a huge festival for Voltron.

“Well, Lance is obviously here.” Keith snorted. Pidge gave him a curious side eye. They made their way through the parade to a giant tent in the center of the camp. The first thing Keith saw was the girl, Nyma lounging in a low chair. She was laughing at something they couldn’t see just yet. When the rest of the tent came into view, they could see what she was laughing at. Lance and Slav were in a heated argument about something. Keith stopped walking as soon as he saw Lance.

Lance was wearing a very tight black long sleeve shirt and baggy cargo pants. He was also insanely ripped. Keith didn’t notice the drool slipping from his lips until Kroila wiped it off.

“A little dignity, Keith.” She admonished. Keith blushed bright red. When they came up to the tent, Lance turned to them with a grin. The cut on his face had become a scar, and there was a new one over his left eyebrow.

“LANCE!” Hunk yelled before barreling toward his friend. Lance’s face split into a wide grin and he opened his arms wide as Hunk ran into him.

“HUNK!” Lance jumped up and wrapped his legs around Hunk.

“My bro. My best buddy. I missed you!” Hunk said. Lance babbled incoherently as he cried into Hunk’s shoulder.

“Awe. Young love reunited.” Matt came out from around the pavilion. Pidge threw herself at her brother. Lance let go of Hunk, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a baggie with a cookie in it. Lance squealed and ripped open the bag. He moaned as it touched his tongue.

“Dios mio, Hunk, these are so good. I’ve missed your cooking so much.” Lance cooed. Hunk patted his cheek.

“Your grandmother is going to kill me when she sees your face.” Hunk stated. Lance barked out a laugh.

“Wait till you see my bike.” He smirked. When he turned to the rest of Voltron, he was smiling. Pidge rushed forward and hugged him, followed by Shiro, then Allura. Coran clapped him on the back. When Kroila came up, he was surprised to be pulled into a hug.

“Battle scars make finding a mate easier. They see you are strong.” She said. Keith gaped at her as she moved toward the pavilion.

“Always knew I was a lady’s man.” Lance joked. Keith snorted.

“Whatever you say Lance.” Keith pulled him into a hug. He felt Lance stiffen below him and realized he forgot he wasn’t supposed to be this close to Lance. He pulled back with a fake grin. “Glad you kept yourself alive sharpshooter.” Keith strode away before he could say anything.

“Hey, I’m going to go get…” Matt gestured toward the camp. Lance nodded as Matt ran off.

“So, we should probably let you know, that Keith sometimes remembers things.” Pidge said from behind him. Lance turned to her incredulously. “I honestly don’t know the extent of it.” Lance nodded.

“We can’t focus on this now, we are actually in a war.” Lance ran a hand over his face and dropped back into his optimistic self. He bounced back into the pavilion.

“Kolivan!” Kroila exclaimed with surprise. The leader of the blade was bending over the table reading maps.

“Keith, Kroila. I’m glad to see you are still fighting the fight.” Kolivan greeted them. “Princess.” He bowed low. Allura nodded in respect. Lance came to stand next to Nyma.

“Okay, lets get the down to business.” He said. Keith couldn’t help but drool over the get down to business Lance.

“You’ve made a plan, Lance?” Shiro asked surprised. Lance smirked.

“Lance here has proved quite adept at strategy. He has collected a small team of advisors to help him.” Kolivan explained.

“Who is on your team Lance, I would like to meet them!” Allura exclaimed.

“Nyma here, has been invaluable. Slav, who is Slav.” Lance gestured to Slav, who was muttering to himself.

“Don’t you dare forget about me!” Matt had come back. “Or-”

“Acxa!” Kroila cried. A tall slim Galra had walked in behind Matt. The team all stared at her. Acxa gaped at Kroila.

“Mother!” Everyone’s jaw dropped. Keith turned to Kroila incredulously.

“Oh shit.” Lance said.

“Keith.” Kroila turned to Keith. “There’s something I should tell you.”

“I feel like it’s a little late to let me know I have a sister now!” Keith yelled. Acxa zeroed in on Keith.

“Sister?” She said to herself.

“Acxa, this is your younger brother, Keith.” Kroila stated.

“Holy fuck.” Shiro said to himself. Keith and Acxa stared at each other. He turned back to Kroila, he managed to catch Lance’s eye with a panicked look. Lance stepped forward immediately.

“Okay, family reunion, um oh my god, will have to wait. We have a war to finish.” Lance said.

“Acxa, why are you not with Lotor?” Kroila asked. Acxa and Lance both froze.

“Lotor can, as Lance says, suck it.” Acxa snarled. Lance patter her shoulder as Pidge tried not to laugh.

“Let’s move onto the plan.” Lance shuffled everyone around the table and laid out the plan. Keith had to admit, it was insanely well planned.

“Lance, this is fantastic. You guys have everything planned out. I almost feel useless with Voltron.” Shiro joked. Lance grinned.

“Nah, we need you guys to go big bad and take out Zarkon and Lotor.”

“I can’t believe the prince joined his father.” Kolivan shook his head. “He has always opposed the empire.” Acxa snorted.

“Lotor has always played to his own agenda. At this moment, it is to follow Zarkon.” She said coldly.

“Okay, so Voltron takes out Zarkon and Lotor, the coalition is going to get ground troops and fighters, what are you going to do?” Allura asked.

“Well, that is where it gets a bit complicated.” Lance smiled.

“Lance’s plan is that he, his generals, and myself, are going after Haggar.” Matt explained.

“Your generals?” Coran asked. Lance waved a hand.

“It’s a joke, after er- I convinced Acxa to join us, she brought Ezor and Zethrid.” Lance explained.

“You… stole Lotor’s generals?” Kroila asked.

“Lance did not steal us, mother. He helped us.” Acxa corrected.

“Hold up. Lance. You guys can’t go after Haggar alone!” Keith said. Lance rolled his eyes.

“Someone has to do it, mullet. These girls are the most highly trained and best equipped to take out Haggar. Voltron is going after both Lotor and Zarkon. It’s actually the least we could do.” Lance argued. Keith threw his hands up.

“You certifiable idiot. Haggar is the only reason Zarkon is still in power now.” Keith argued.

“Alright mullet, fine. Voltron can take out Haggar. Do you know how to defeat her?” Lance smirked. Keith flushed.

“Run her through with a sword!” Keith floundered. Acxa rolled her eyes at that.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work since I left Keith.” Lance really tried to keep the inflection out of his voice, he really did, but god, he was still a lot more hurt than he thought. “Haggar isn’t really the get run through with a sword type. She’s more of the sacrificial quintessence type.” Keith fought back a flinch.

“Well, like you know how to do that!” Keith yelled. Lance rolled his eyes.

“And how would you know! We’ve only met twice!” Lance snarled. The entire room froze. “I can have a plethora of talents you wouldn’t know about. And one of them is that I know how to sacrifice quintessence!” He yelled. Acxa gripped Lance’s hand. Keith almost saw red. He felt the Galra side of him bubbling up.

“Okay, while this has been fun, I approve. Lance this plan is extremely well thought out, except for one part.” Allura said.

“What part?” He asked.

“I want you to fly Blue. You deserve to finish this fight with her.” Allura stated. Lance shifted awkwardly.

“Unfortunately, we need Lance for the quintessence sacrifice. He is the only one who’s been able to perfect it.” Acxa specified. The generals walked into the pavilion and listened in on the conversation.

“He would be better suited than an Altean?” Allura asked. Acxa nodded.

“We’d be his backup and we have a much deeper connection with him than with you.” Ezor giggled.

“What exactly is quintessence sacrifice?” Pidge asked.

“Quintessence sacrifice is when Lance funnels fuels quintessence from our souls into Haggar, overloading and killing her.” Acxa said.

“And how can Lance do this better that an Altean?” Shiro asked.

“Lance has a very unusual amount of quintessence…” Acxa trailed off.

“Meaning he did something, and something is wrong with him, and he’s going to kill himself fixing it.” Keith growled. Pidge suppressed the smile. Lance rolled his eyes.

“Something might have happened, and yes I am going to fix it. I will not kill myself, dio.” Lance muttered.

“Keith, I think you should take a walk.” Shiro said. “Lance is perfectly capable of making his own decisions, and his plan is pretty perfect.” Keith glowered but stomped out of the pavilion. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Shiro muttered.

“He has finally found his mate.” Zethrid grunted. They all turned to her. The Voltron team tried not to flush.

“His mate?” Lance asked. Zethrid grinned and shook her head.

“I’ll tell you when we finish this. Finish the plan Lance. The fleet is beginning to mobilize.” Zethrid rumbled. Lance huffed but turned back.

“We did get into a bit of trouble, and I got a little caught up with Lotor. He’s a major skeezball. Allura, after this, we will have to talk about some things. But, I did learn a thing or two, so I can extract quintessence.” Lance shrugged.

“You have done so many amazing things, Lance. I’m very excited to hear about your adventures. I can’t believe you can manipulate quintessence!” Allura bubbled. Lance grinned.

“Okay, let’s get rolling. Nyma, you and Kolivan go divvy the ground and air forces. Nyma, I want you and Rolo in the air. Kolivan, you are on the ground. Coran, I want you here with Slav, keeping tabs on where everyone is. Shiro, I won’t even try to be your leader.” Lance grinned.

“Lance, you are about to single handedly plan the end of an intergalactic war. Tell me what you want me to do.” Shiro just shook his head. Lance grinned.

“Shiro I need you and Voltron to go straight for Lotor first. Zarkon is going to stay on the main ship. Haggar will land her ship on the planet that Acxa, Zethrid, Ezor, Matt and I will go for. I want everyone to leave Haggar’s ship alone. Pidge, I need you to make sure all communication lines stay open. Hunk. Do you have any more cookies?” Lance asked.

“Yeah, they’re in Yellow.” Hunk smiled shyly.

“What about me and Keith?” Allura asked.

“You are the keeper of these.” Lance grabbed a small stack of envelopes on the table. “Please keep these for me till after the battle. The safest place I know is with Blue.” Allura accepted them graciously.

“Pidge, your job is to tell Keith that his job is to be broody and listen to some MCR for me.” Lance gave her a wink. “Kroila! You, are with Kolivan.”

“I wish to go with Acxa.” Kroila stated.

“This isn’t a discussion, Mother. You are best suited to aid Kolivan in rallying the troops.” Acxa said. Kroila opened her mouth to argue, but Kolivan placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You have received your order, Kroila.” He said sternly. “Meet me outside.” Kolivan and Nyma stood and they left the pavilion, followed by Zethrid and Ezor. Kroila turned to Acxa.

“Acxa, what happened? You were to be mates.” Kroila said. Acxa looked at the paladins, quickly sizing them up.

“They’re okay Acxa.” Lance assure her.

“Narti is dead.” Acxa stated. Kroila’s eyes widened. “He killed her. He would not stop in his plight if he had to strike us down.” Kroila nodded. “Any bond we had is broken.”

“I am sorry my daughter. I understand a broken bond.” Kroila said.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me I had a brother.” Acxa growled. She glanced at Lance quickly. Kroila nodded.

“We will talk more later.” Kroila left the tent quickly. Pidge and Matt were whispering in a corner.

“Talk about revelations. I should go find Keith. Finding his mom was crazy enough. Throw in an unknown sister…” Shiro trailed off as he left the pavilion. Acxa nodded to Lance and followed him out.

“Holy shit, you’ve unknowingly been traveling with Keith’s sister.” Hunk guffawed. Lance buried his face in his hands.

“I didn’t think this thing going get any more convoluted.” Lance groans. Allura rubbed soothing circles in his back.

“It will be okay, Lance. Make sure you talk to Keith about things after we finish this okay?” Allura assured him.

“Fuck, fine. Hunk can I have my cookies now?” He whined. Hunk nodded and grabbed his hand. “Matt, meet at the speedster in fifteen!” He called as Hunk pulled him out of the tent. Hunk babbled about all of the things that had happened since the last time Lance had called.

“I can’t wait to hear about everything that’s happened. You’re always real secretive, but when we’re done, you’re going to tell me right?” Hunk asked nervously.

“Of course, I will Hunk. I’m going to need someone to vent to. I honestly can’t wait to tell you guys about the crap that went down with Lotor.” Lance grinned. When they got to the lions, Lance stopped in front of Blue as Hunk continued to Yellow.

Lance rested a hand on Blue’s giant metal paw. He looked up at her and smiled sadly. _Calm, my kitten._ Blue spoke in his head gently. Lance smiled. He had missed her gentle touch is his mind. He stroked her paw gently. Keith was sitting in Red’s cockpit watching Lance smile gently at Blue. Keith sighed. He can’t believe what he did to Lance, even if it wasn’t intentional.

 _Calm your mind, kit. I see your plan. I believe it will go as intended._ Blue crooned. Lance patter her paw.

“Gracias Mamá,” Lance followed Hunk to Yellow. Hunk had a huge bag of cookies waiting for him.

“You better share with your new friends.” Hunk joked. Lance threw his head back and laughed.

“Yo, Zethrid!” Lance yelled into the camp. Zethrid was at his side instantly. Lance held out a handful of cookies with a grin. “Give some to Ezor and Acxa too. I don’t know where Acxa ran off too, knowing the Koganes she’s probably trying to kill something.”

“The Koganes?” Zethrid asked, taking the cookies with glee.

“I don’t really know if Kroila has a family name. Kogane is Keith’s. And seeing that he’s Acxa’s sister, and holy crap I should have seen it before.” Lance groaned.

“I’ll make sure she isn’t killing someone too important.” Zethrid jogged away with her cookies.

“So, like how did you convert the generals?” Hunk asked. Lance gestured to Yellow. Once they were inside, Lance collapsed in the pilot seat.

“Lotor killed Narti, and Ezor didn’t trust Lotor after that. Acxa and Lotor were in the process of becoming mates, but when Ezor came to her, Acxa realized she was right and turned Lotor away. Matt and I were fighting with them when this happened. Acxa came to me and we struck a deal. Lotor flipped at being betrayed and tried to kill her. I don’t really know how it happened, but I saved her life. The Galra are bound by life debts, so she, Ezor, and Zethrid joined us.”

“So, she’s just here because she owes you for saving her life?” Hunk asked.

“No, she’s repaid her debt tenfold. We’ve become pretty good friends actually.” Lance shrugged.

“Dude, your friends with Keith’s long-lost sister.” Hunk chuckled. Lance smiled.

“Don’t tell anyone about Acxa and Lotor, okay? She doesn’t like to talk about it. I need to go meet Matt. Do you want to see my speedster?” Lance jumped up. Hunk followed him through the camp again. The rest of Voltron and Matt were crowded around Lance’s spacecraft. Keith was gazing at it longingly.

“Geez, do you want us to leave you alone mullet?” Lance bumped his shoulder. Keith made a squeaking noise. Lance’s ship was similar to Lotor’s in design. Perfect for a small team. “Wait till you see the bike.” Acxa and her team strode up.

“Thank you for the sweets,” Acxa turned to Hunk. Hunk grinned at her.

“There’s a bike?” Keith squealed. Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and dragged him inside the ship.

“Are they aware they are mates?” Acxa asked. Hunk shook his head.

“Nope. We’re going to lock them in a closet after we finish this.” Hunk said.

“They can finally come out when they’re done.” Pidge snickered. “We might need two closets though.” Pidge and Hunk gave pointed looks toward Matt and Shiro, who completely ignored them.

Keith wasn’t drooling. Well he was, but Lance was kind enough not to say anything. The bike was a thing of beauty. She had beautiful angles made for rough terrain.

“She’s how I lived half the time.” Lance chuckled. Keith’s eyes narrowed.

“How often have you almost died?” He asked. Lance just shrugged.

“It’s been a tough year. Acxa is honestly to be thanked for most of it. Your sister really takes life debts seriously.” Lance chuckled.

“I can’t believe I have a sister.” Keith shook his head. “I can’t believe Kroila didn’t tell me.”

“If it makes you feel any better. Acxa never thought she’d see Kroila again. When she and Lotor began their thing, and the fact that Kroila was devoted to the Blade and disappeared for a bit, it was assumed they were be on opposite sides till the end.” Lance explained.

“You two are really close.” Keith said. He felt miserable. He was supposed to be this close with Lance.

“She kind of became a female Hunk, but with your temperament.” Lance snickered. Keith glared at him. “Anyway, we have a war to finish.” Lance pulled Keith out of the craft before he could say anything else. They walked out to find Zethrid and Pidge toe to toe, with the rest of the team looking on. Lance raised an eyebrow when he saw them. Zethrid looked up at him and grinned.

“And here I thought all the Paladins were like you!” She boomed.

“Devilishly handsome sharpshooters?” Lance smirked. Zethrid barked a laugh.

“Whiney and lazy. But this one has guts! She is fierce!” Zethrid bared her teeth in a grin. Lance smiled.

“Hell yes she is. Alright guys, let’s finish this crap!” Lance yelled. Zethrid, Acxa, and Ezor yelled in unison. Shiro began ushering Voltron away. Keith turned back to Lance as he walked away.

“You better make it back, Mi sirenta.” Keith said softly before he was gone. Acxa stopped at his side as Zethrid, Ezor, and Matt went into the craft.

“Are you okay?” She asked. Lance just stared after Keith. “If this goes well, I’m glad I will have an excuse to see you after this, seeing that you are my brother’s chosen mate.” Lance smiled.

“That’s one hell of an if. But one hell of a prize if it does.” Lance shook his head. Acxa gripped his shoulder and continued into the ship.

Keith was barely focusing on the fight. He knew it was extremely dangerous, but he couldn’t help but worry about Lance. Lotor was surprisingly easy to take down. Without his generals, Lotor was much less intimidating. After Lotor, Zarkon was a true challenge. Voltron was losing when Lance’s ship appeared.

“Voltron, keep him occupied, we’ll slam him from behind.” Matt called. Zethrid and Ezor were stationed at the guns, ready to blast Zarkon away. Once Zarkon was dealt with, Keith flipped on an open mic with Matt.

“Matt, where the hell is Lance?” He asked. He heard Matt sigh over the mic.

“Keith,” he started.

“Matthew Holt, you better fucking answer him!” Pidge growled. They steered Voltron toward the planet Lance was on.

“He knew the risks. When he learned how to mold quintessence, Lance came up with this plan, because he knew the power of raw quintessence. He was supposed to take small pieces of quintessence from all of us and funnel it into Haggar. But that asshole changed the plan!” He yelled.

“And Acxa knew and didn’t fucking tell us!” Zethrid growled.

“He spent most of his quintessence and when he had just enough to keep himself alive to finish it, he started taking from Acxa.” Matt said. When they landed on the planet, they found Acxa holding Lance. He was having issues breathing, clearly on the edge. Keith bolted to Lance and embraced him.

“How you doin’ mullet man?” Lance tried to smirk. Keith let out a small sob.

“Lance, what can we do to fix this? How can I fix this?” Lance shook his head.

“You can’t fix it this time Keith.” He said.

“I fixed it when Elian Lago broke your arm, and god damn it, I can fix it now.” Keith stuttered. Lance grinned.

“Well, well, well, look who’s finally done playing amnesia boy,” Lance chuckled.

“Shut up Lance. I’ve lost you three fucking times now. I will not you again!” Keith yelled. Lance’s eyes fluttered.

“Push my quintessence into him,” Acxa said suddenly. She looked at Allura “You can do it Princess.”

“Why,” Keith asked.

“You have chosen an amazing mate Keith. You are my brother, and even if Lance was not my best friend and my blood brother, I would do this for you. Lance deserves to live a long and happy life with his mate. He deserves the life I did not have.” Lance reached for her hand.

“Don’t you dare, you stupid emo.” Lance gasped. “You don’t see the stupid things in front of your stupid face. You two are so fucking ridiculous. I really can’t understand how I didn’t know you two were siblings. Allura, under no circumstances, will you use her quintessence to heal me.”

“Use mine.” Keith whispered.

“Stop fighting about it. I’ve made the decision!” Allura yelled. She took both Acxa’s and Keith’s hand and began to focus on the quintessence. Acxa and Keith were both still holding Lance, so Allura pushed the quintessence running through them into Lance. It wasn’t a lot, but it was more than enough to keep him alive and healing. They quickly brought him to the ship and put him in the healing pod. Keith waited night and day for him to come out. He and Acxa had a schedule between them that when one needed to sleep or eat, the other watched over Lance.

“I never thought I would bond over an unknown sister over my hopeful boyfriend.” Keith said to her. Acxa cracked a rare smile.

“If I were you, I would drop the hopeful. He is your one true mate, and that is rare.” She was quiet for a moment. “I am unsure how a relationship with a sibling should be. Kroila left when I was very young to perform a blade mission. My closest sibling was Narti. We were the closest growing up together in the barracks.”

“Shiro is my adoptive older brother. So, I’m pretty used to being the younger emo sibling.” Keith smirked. “Plus, I’m sure Lance is more than happy to help. He has a habit of adopting people.”

“You have your memories back, yes?” Acxa asked. Keith nodded. “Can you tell me about you two?” Keith recounted how they met and some of their better shenanigans. Unbeknownst to them, the entire team was listening outside of the door. When Lance fell from the pod, Keith was sleeping. Acxa and Pidge were watching him. Acxa catches him as he wakes.

“Keith,” Lance immediately says. Acxa rolls her eyes.

“Mates,” Acxa snorted. “Always so needy.” Lance snorted.

“Like you’re one to talk. Now where is my fucking boyfriend?” He asked as he stood. Pidge screeched and flung herself at Lance.

“You idiot. I can’t believe you were about to die, and you were prepared for it, and you are an idiot!” Pidge let him go and stepped back. “Okay, I’m going to get everyone else.” Pidge sprinted out of the room.

“So did I dream you giving your life up for me, or did that really happen?” Lance asked. Acxa looked away. “Are we going to go over what happened in the quantum abyss again?” Acxa glared at him.

“We decided that was a moot point.” She growled. Lance grinned. They both turned as the doors opened and a wild haired Keith sprinted into the room. Lance’s smile got impossibly wider. Keith flung his arms around Lance and pulled him into a searing kiss.


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for bullet point epilogues!

-They return to earth, Lance introduces his space family to his earth family

-Lance’s grandmother remembers Keith and gets extremely happy

-Lance’s grandmother totally adopts his ‘generals’

-Matt doesn’t have to share holidays, they all celebrate together

-Acxa and Hunk and Lance’s best bros forever

-Zethrid and Pidge become weirdly close

-Keith and Acxa become closer, but never really feel the overly sibling bond that Keith does with Shiro and Acxa does with Lance

-Shiro and Matt were totally together the whole time. Shiro’s just that much of a fucking space dad

-Lance reveals the existence of the colony and Allura and Coran book it and Allura leads her people like she was meant to

-Voltron is based on earth, but continues to defend the universe with Keith in Red and Lance in Blue

-Lance and Keith complete the mating bond, eventually earth marry, and live happily ever after


End file.
